Chapter 15

  The next day came fast.

  "Sleep well?" Henrik asked as I sat up, stretching the kinks out of my neck.

  "Better than expected," I admitted. The new shelter G1 and G2 had built was actually pretty comfortable, especially compared to the other night.

  And as I watched the group going about their morning routines, I couldn't help but feel amazed.

  These people had watched their entire town burn just two days ago. They'd lost everything—their homes, their neighbors, probably friends and family they'd known their whole lives. Hell, most of them had nearly died themselves.

  But here they were, already planning for the future. Already thinking about what came next instead of just sitting around feeling sorry for themselves.

  Back in my old life, I would've been a complete wreck after something like that. Probably would've spent weeks hiding under a blanket, wallowing in self-pity and refusing to deal with reality.

  But these people? They'd grieved for maybe a day, then started picking up the pieces. It was honestly inspiring, in a way that made me feel kind of ashamed of how I used to handle problems.

  I stood up and brushed off my new dress, looking around at everyone bustling about the camp.

  "So how's everyone doing?" I called out. "Is everyone prepared?"

  Henrik nodded then said. "Your wolves brought back some meat they hunted too. Breakfast should be ready soon."

  "Thanks," I said, then paused as I thought about what was nagging me since yesterday.

  Even though Henrik had said some mages kept multiple familiars, I didn't want to take any risks. Walking into town with two giant wolves, a massive eagle, and two stone golems? That was bound to draw attention I couldn't afford.

  I had around five days' worth of wild power stored up now. Maybe... maybe I could create something different. A monster that could store my other monsters somehow? Or better yet—one that could use magic like storage or inventory magic of some sorts…

  I'd read enough fantasy novels to know the concept. Pocket dimensions, spatial magic, that kind of thing. If I could make a creature with that ability, it could theoretically keep the others hidden until I needed them.

  The question was whether my Monster Maker skill could even create something that advanced.

  "Hmm," I muttered under my breath thinking about the cost.

  Well, only one way to find out.

  I closed my eyes and focused on that warm feeling in my chest, letting it pull me inward. The familiar sensation of sinking into darkness washed over me as everything around the camp faded away.

  When I opened my eyes again, I was floating in that star-filled void—the place where I designed my monsters. The same endless darkness scattered with points of light, screens ready to pop up at my command.

  "Alright," I said to the empty void. "Time to work.”

  The familiar blue screens materialized around me.

  The first design that came to mind was a slime. Something that could literally absorb my other monsters into its body, keeping them safe inside until I needed them.

  I worked through the interface, building something that looked like a large, translucent blue blob with the ability to store living creatures in a kind of suspended state within its core. The design was surprisingly complex—I had to factor in life support systems, spatial compression, selective permeability...

  When I finished, the cost made me wince. Seven days' worth of wild power, including the loyalty upgrade.

  Not terrible, I mean considering its capabilities but... I had other ideas brewing.

  I'd discovered something useful a few days ago—I could actually save designs without creating them. Archive them for later use. The system let me store templates like some kind of monster database.

  "Save design," I muttered, watching the slime blueprint disappear into storage.

  Next I started building a tiny humanoid creature with gossamer wings and an almost ethereal appearance. But the real focus was on its magical capabilities—enhanced affinity for spatial magic, dimensional manipulation, storage spells. The works.

  The cost kept climbing as I added more magical abilities. By the time I finished tweaking the design, it was sitting at fifteen days' worth of wild power. With loyalty included.

  "Damn," I breathed. "That's expensive."

  But also potentially game-changing.

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  We still had a few days until we reached Oakenford—around three days of travel—but even then, it wouldn't be enough for me to create the fairy.

  "Hmm," I muttered, tapping my fingers against nothing in the void.

  What if I weakened the capabilities? Instead of making it immediately strong, what if I focused on potential? Give it the foundation for magic but let it grow into the advanced stuff later?

  I started tweaking the design, scaling back some of the more complex magical abilities. I also gave the fairy the capability to hide itself as this was a crucial thing, a simple cloaking ability.

  The cost dropped steadily as I simplified things. Fourteen days. Thirteen. Twelve.

  Twelve days.

  This was more doable but still expensive as hell.

  "Save design," I decided, watching this version disappear into my archive as well.

  I sighed, staring at my pathetic wild power reserves. Five days stored up, and here I was designing creatures that cost seven to thirteen days minimum.

  I'm so frikkin broke.

  It was like being a kid in a candy store with empty pockets. All these amazing possibilities floating around me, and I couldn't afford any of the good stuff. The slime was the cheapest option at seven days, but I wasn’t even capable of affording it right now.

  I dismissed the design screens with a wave of my hand and decided to go back for the meantime.

  There wasn't much point in window shopping when I couldn't afford anything decent.

  But as the familiar sinking sensation pulled me back, I froze.

  Oh shit.

  How long was I gone? What did it look like from the outside?

  I got so used to doing this on my own, that I forgot to take into account I was not alone anymore.

  My heart hammered as the void faded away and I found myself back in the camp. But when I opened my eyes, I nearly laughed with relief.

  Henrik was still walking toward the fire, his foot mid-step in exactly the same position as when I'd closed my eyes. The flames were frozen in the same flickering pattern. Even a leaf that had been falling from a tree was suspended in mid-air.

  Time had stopped. Or maybe I existed outside of time when I was in that design space.

  "Thank god," I breathed, watching as everything suddenly resumed normal speed. Henrik completed his step, the leaf drifted down, and the fire continued crackling like nothing had happened.

  Nobody had noticed. To them, I'd probably just closed my eyes for a split second, maybe looked like I was thinking about something.

  That was... actually really useful information. It meant I could design monsters anytime I wanted without looking suspicious. No more worrying about disappearing for hours while people watched.

  I walked toward the fire, my stomach growling loud enough to wake the dead. All that work had made me hungry as hell.

  During breakfast, I found myself making small talk with the survivors. It felt weird—I'd never been great at casual conversation back home, but somehow it was easier here.

  "So," I said, tearing off a piece of the cooked meat, "what's everyone planning to do once we reach Oakenford?"

  Henrik chewed thoughtfully. "Find work, hopefully. Besides, I have a friend there that could help us."

  "I'm thinking about opening another shop," Marta said, bouncing Emil on her knee. "If I can scrape together enough coins for supplies."

  Senna and Jorik exchanged glances. "We're not sure yet," Senna admitted. "Maybe find someone who needs apprentices?"

  "What about you, Vera?" Aldric asked. "Any plans for when we get there?"

  I paused, a piece of meat halfway to my mouth.

  "Still figuring that out," I said finally.

  And that was the truth. I had absolutely no idea what the hell I was supposed to do in this world. Back home, I'd been a web designer who barely left her apartment. The closest I'd come to exploring was scrolling through travel blogs while eating takeout.

  But I guess we all start somewhere, right?

  The thought made me pause. I'd always wanted to travel, to see new places and experience different cultures. Back in my old life, I'd spent hours daydreaming about backpacking through Europe or hiking mountain trails in Asia. But there was never enough time, never enough money. Always some excuse keeping me glued to my desk and my safe little routine.

  Here, though? Here I had a chance to actually do it. To explore a whole new world where magic was real and monsters roamed the forests. Sure, it was dangerous as hell, but it was also the adventure I'd always dreamed about.

  Maybe I didn't need to have it all figured out right away. Maybe I could just... see where the road took me. Experience whatever this world has to offer.

  Henrik studied my face for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I'm sure you'll figure it out," he said with a knowing smile.

  "Thanks," I said, feeling oddly touched by his confidence in me.

  The conversation drifted to other topics after that—how long the journey to Oakenford would take, what supplies we still needed to gather, whether the weather would hold.

  Unfortunately, there wasn't much else I could salvage from the town. Everything had been burnt to ash and rubble. The few coins and tools I'd managed to find were pretty much all that remained useful.

  Still, with the resources from the forest and everyone's combined knowledge, we managed to put together some makeshift supplies. Henrik and Tormund had fashioned walking sticks from sturdy branches. Marta had torn strips from her old clothes to make bandages and rope. Even the teenagers had pitched in, weaving grass into rough but functional carrying bags.

  And since we didn't really have much, it didn't take long before we were prepared to leave. A few bundles of supplies, some dried meat, the coins and tools I'd salvaged could be carried by hand.

  As everyone gathered their things, I found myself looking back at the shelter.

  I felt a weird tightness in my chest.

  This had been my home for the past week. My safe place in a world that had tried to kill me more times than I could count. I'd learned to make fire here, figured out how to survive, created my first monsters.

  So many memories packed into such a short time.

  "You alright?" Henrik asked, noticing me staring at the shelter.

  "Yeah," I said, taking a deep breath. "Just... saying goodbye, I guess."

  I knew I needed to move on. This place had served its purpose, but it couldn't be my whole world forever. Still, walking away felt harder than I'd expected.

  I glanced at my monsters. Fei spread his wings and took to the sky, where he'd keep watch from above. Nox and Orion fell into step beside the group, their massive forms flanking us while G1 and G2 brought up the rear.

  "Ready?" Marta asked.

  I nodded, shouldering my small pack. "Let's go."